Apparatus for removing liquids from solids.



No. 783,559. I PATENIED FEB. 28, 1905. G. S. WHEELWRIGHT. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 1904.

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1 "yr/I I I wenbo c No. 783,559. PATENTED FEB. 28. 1905. l G. S. WHEBLWRIGHT- APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LIQUIDS PROM SOLIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 1904.

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No. 788,559. P ATENTBD FEB. 28, 1905.

C. S. WHEELWRIGHT. APPARATUS FOR REMOVING LIQUIDS PROM SOLIDS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 24. 1904.

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w 1" P8 2 g! $5 I 2 P P F i P l I 4 P l 3 ll P6 2 .2 :174 a c .Z C d J P5 1 J 2 O Q L 104 73 Q s ll 6 0 ilz' ll a b 1 m h N M 7/2 lirvimnn Sra'rns Patented February 28, 1905:

AMERICAN EXTRAOTOR OOMPA N Y, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 783,559, dated February 28, 1905. Application filed May 2 1904. Serial No. 209,553,

To (LU who/rt it may concern.-

Be it known that I, OHAnLns S. \Vmaun- WRIGHT, of Bristol, in the State of .lthode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Removing Liquids from Solids, of which the following is a specification.

The invention consists in the colnbinatioi'i, with a digester such as T have described in my application, Serial No. 179,382, filed October 31, 1903, of a conveying and pressing apparatus such as l have described and claimed in an implication filed as a division hereof November 5, 1904:, Serial No. 231,593, together with a pump, a hot-water tank, and connecting-pipes, the entire apparatus being watertight.

The object of the invention is to convey tankagc or refuse from the vessel in which garbage or offal has been treated with hot water for the removal of melted grease to a drying apparatus or drying-platform, using again and again the same water in said digester and said conveyor.

The invention consists, further, in details of construction.

In the drawings hereto annexed and forming a part of this specification, F igure 1 is a longitudinal View of the conveyer and presser, together with so much of a digester, watertank, pump, and connecting-pipes as is necessary for an understanding of the invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-section of the conveyer and presser, showing within the cylinder the conveying-screw, the suction-boxes, vibrating plate or fin, and valve, with mechanism for operating the valve. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of said cylinder on line :0 a of Fig. 2, on a still larger scale, showing, however, only two fins. Figs. 4- and 5 are details.

A represents so much of a digester as it is necessary to show in a description of the apparatus by which the 2].l)0VG-H]Gl1tl0l'l0(l process as relating to garbage is conducted. A pipe A, by which live steam is fed to the digester, is also shown. The digester has a valved outlet A near the bottom thereof, of a diameter as large or even larger than that of the cylinder, next described, and with which the said outlet communicates near the closed end of the cylinder, as shown.

B is a long cylinder, through the center of which, closely fitting its inner periphery, is a sixteen-inch screw O. This is the dimen sion of the screw actually used by me, and from it the dimensions of the remaining parts of the apparatus may be readily ascertained, although :I do not limit myself to the dimensions shown. The cylinder B, provided with lugs (Z (Z, is supported upon standards I). An extension of the cylinder beyond the screw is marked B, which may be of different lengths, but is of the same diameter as cylinder B, and beyond this extension B is a second extension B of substantially the same diameter, which is provided with an outlet at B. The screw O is secured to said shaft E by splines and a feather e and revolves with said shaft, which extends outside of the cylinder B through the extensions B and B. The said shaft E has bearings or supports at e in the end piece B of the cylinder B, It being a collar surrounding the shaft and set into the screw, as shown, It being a ring of soft metal between said screw and the end piece 13, and a? being disks of soft metal between the shaft E and said end piece B", as shown, and at e a long box supported upon a standard D outside of the cylinder B and its two extensions B and B The shaft E carries a large beveled gear Ur, into which takes a small beveled gear (not shown) carried upon the counter-shaft of the driving apparatus. The extreme end of the cylinder B is provided with a head of, in which fits a packing-box I, provided with a gland l, the oliice of which is to furnish a suitable packing or bearing fora hollow shaft .l, moved on and along shaft E by a hand-wheel .l, a nut J rigidly connected with said lumd-wheel, and a screw-threzul J upon said shaft E, the said movable shaft .l carrying with it a valvedisk K, provided with teeth K K, as shown. The valve-disk K has a seat at L in the rim of the extension of the cylinder B, and the peculiar shape of the face of the valve directs material or tankage sent forward by the screw O and packed or packing in extensions 1 B downward out of the outlet at B at any posil tion of the valve-disk as removed any distance from its seat by manipulating handwheel J The valve, whatever its position 5 longitudinally in extension B constantly revolves with the shaft E, and thereby with the help of the teeth K K breaks up the material forced forward by the screw C and directed toward the outlet B.

M M are two suction-boxes, similar to those used in paper machinery for a like purpose, operated by two suction-pipes or outlets N N in connection with perforated plates 0 0, set into and forming a part of the cylinder B. These suction-boxes are of peculiar shape and are hinged to the cylinder B, being so far removable therefrom as to permit of the removal and insertion of the perforated plates O, as will presently be more particularly described. It is sutiicient for the present to point out that the two suction-pipes N N, the principal office of which is to draw water from the cylinder through the plates 0 0, connect with a force-pump N',whieh feeds a pipe N, emptying into the top of the digester A or the top of a water tank N", extending lengthwise alongside of the digester,accordingl y as valves shown in connection with said pipes are manipulated. This tank N is provided with a 0 pipe N*, opening from the bottom of the tank and communicating with the outlet A from the digester below the valve therein. It is provided with a check-valve N and an ordinary valve N. The pipe N has valves N N x 5 N and is provided with a branch pipe N communicating with the top of the digester from between valves N and N and in turn provided with a valve N The otlice of the various valves shown in the drawings is obvi- 4o ous. One of the suction-boxes is shown at Fig. 3 in cross-section, together with the perforated plate and adjacent parts of the cylinder and devices by which the suction-box is hinged to the cylinder, so that the suctionbox falling back on the hinge the perforated plate may be removed from the cylinder. ,M in this figure, as stated above, is one of the suction-boxes, and O is one of the perforated plates set into the cylinder B. M is one of several bars to support or hold up the perforated plate O, the said bars being cast with the box M. The box M is hinged to the cylinder B (see Fig. 5) by means of two lugs b 6, cast on the cylinder, a fork in m, cast upon the box M, so as to fit inside of said lugs b I), and a bolt m, passing through the said fork and lugs and also through an eccentric 71?, which fits between the lugs 7) 7) and is swung by a lever a. \Vhen the box is set free at the other end, as will now be described, and the eccentric n is loosened by swinging back the lever a, the box swings back on the bolt m, carrying with it the supporting-bars W.

The office of the eccentric 11. is to tighten the box M in its working position. The locking apparatus at the other end of the suction-box (see Fig. 4:) consists of two lugs 6 6 cast upon the cylinder B, a swivel-pin n, pivoted by a bolt a to the said lugs L 5 and embraced by forked arms of a, which are cast upon the box M and are held in the position embracing said swivel-pin by a nut 12?, working on a screw-thread on the end of said swivel-pin and operated by a handle a.

The ofiice of the screw E, as has perhaps already appeared, is to carry forward in the cylinder or through the cylinder and extensions thereof the more solid parts of the contents of the cylinder; but this the screw sometimes fails to do, owing to the moist and slippery nature of such material or substance. The greasy mass is apt to turn with the screw without being moved forward. This difliculty is in part remedied by the frictional resistance imparted to the mass by the above-mentioned suction-boxes M M, a pull or suction being exerted upon the mass in a direction substantially at right angles to force exerted by the screw. Another device for imparting frictional resistance to the slippery material held in the thread of the screw consists of certain movable pieces of metal, which 1 term vibrating lins P P, whose movements into and out of the mass are controlled by the screw acting upon their edges automatically. These lins are very numerous and are placed in pairs about the screw, (see Fig. 1,) so that a sepa rate lin works in each interval between two screw-tln'eads. They are made of soft metal and have their peripheries cam-shaped, as shown, so as to follow with an u p-and-down or in-and-out vibrating motion the convolutions of the screw, the points and heels of the fins dipping into the wet and slippery mass forced forward by the screw between the threads and rising therefrom successively one fin after another, so that the material between the screwthreads is struck by the fins in various positions. They are so secured to the cylinder that they and the mechanisms by which they are attazhed may be readily removed. One form of these fins, with accompanying parts, is shown in detail at Fig. 3, where P is the fin, pivoted upon axis P, as shown. B is the cylinder. P P are long guides let into the cylinder, as shown, for two [ins and held in place by screw-bolts P P, secured by nuts P P. A long cap P covers the said two guides P P and the space in which the fin works, as shown, being held in place by a lever P, forked at q, where it is pivoted on a pivot-pin q, held in place by nuts 9 g The other end of lever P is forked at q to embrace a swivel-pin P pivoted on pivot q and held in place in the fork g of lever P" by a nut P working on a screw-thread on the end of swivel-pin P and provided with a hand-lever P. The pivotpin 9 has bearings in shoulders P and the pivot g" has bearings in shoulders P, the said shoulders P and P being ears or lugs cast on the guides P P.

The cylinder B has been described as a cylinder with an extension or extensions. it is obvious, however, that the cylinder, with its extensions, may be considered as a single piece of apparatus or as a cylinder containing a screw which does not reach to its end, but leaves a projection containing a chamber beyond the end of the screw, into which material forced forward by the screw may accumulate and finally be removed by other devices.

As before stated, the conveying and pressing apparatus above described is particularly adapted for use in connection with the rendering plant. The material and the water are at a high temperature, and this makes it possible to press out water from within the material and remove water accompanying the material much more easily than if the material and water were cold. Moreover, the tankage is delivered to the drying apparatus or platform at a high temperature and is more readily dried. The arrangement of the pump, pipes, and tanks with the conveyor and 'presser allows the same water to be used in the conveyer again and again, and any falling oil in the temperature of the water once used is remedied by the admission of steam to the digester by pipe A.

The operation is as follows: The digesterA is supposed to be full of tankage and hot water, and the tank N is supposed to be full of water more or less heated, and all steam-pressure has been blown off from the entire apparatus. The handle T is turned and the valve K brought to its seat at L, thereby closing the cylinder and rendering the system, consisting of the cylinder and all apparatus heretofore described connected therewith,water-tight. The valve N is next opened, and the cylinder fills with water from the tank N. Thescrew U is now started, and the valve in pipe A is opened, when the tankage or whatever material other than water may bein the digester descends through the pipe A and gradually lills the screw U and gradually packs in the space B between the end of the screw and said valve 11, forming a stopper to the cylinder. The valve K is linally opened, and the pressed material as a continuously forming stopper passes forward under the force of the screw against the retired valve into the extension li", whence, broken up by the blades lsl' ii of the valve, it passes out of the conveyer and press-er or d ryingplatform.

through the outlet at B to a drying mechanism (Not shown.) hen the valve in the large pipe A is opened, the valves 1 N and I' l are opened and the pump N is started, and the valve N is opened as often as may be necessary. \Vere it not that the cylinder B is tilled with water from tank N before the large valve in the pipe leading from the digester is opened on the opening of that large valve all the water in the digester would run into the cylinder, leaving the tankage to settle at the digester-outlet. As it is the heavy tankage comes from the digester and displaces water in the cylinder.

I claim---- 1. The combination with a rendering-digester, of a water-tight cylinder provided with a carrying-screw litting the internal periphery of said cylinder and adapted to revolve therein, perforated plates let into said cylinder and suction-boxes adapted to work in connection with said suction-b0xes, an extension of said, cylinder beyond said carrying-screw, an outlet to said cylinder in said extension, and a valve having its seatin said extension between the end of said screw and said outlet, a watertank convenient to said digester, and a pump and crmnecting-pipcs whereby water in said cylinder from said water-tank and digester maybe returned to said tank and digester and used again and again, substantially as described.

Q. The combination with a rendering-digester, of a water-tight cylinder provided with a carrying-screw adapted to revolve therein, perforated plates and suction-boxes adapted to draw water from said cylinder, a' watertank, a pump, and connectil'igpipes, whereby water in said cylinder from said water-tank and digester may be returned to said dig-ester and tank and used again and again, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a digestcr adapted to the removal of melted grease from garbage or ol'lal by the water process, and a conveying and pressing apparatus adapted to receive tankage from said digester, of a water-tank convenient to said digester, and a pump and pipes adapted to draw water from said conveyer and presser and return it to said digester and tank, substantially as described.

CHAR LES S. W lllCEL WltlGl IT.

\Vitnesses:

(VILLIAM W. SWAN, inA E. Hasnmm. 

